Chaplains As Liaisons with Religious Leaders

S Chaplains as Liaisons with Religious Leaders RK Lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan George Adams, CDR, CHC, USN EW AC UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE PE Library of Congress Control Number: 2005910666 Peaceworks No. 56. First published March 2006. The views expressed in this report are those of the author alone. They do not necessarily reflect views of the United States Institute of Peace. UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE 1200 17th Street NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036-3011 Phone: 202-457-1700 Fax: 202-429-6063 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.usip.org 1Contents Summary 1 Acknowledgments 3 1. Introduction 5 2. The Foundation for Acting as Liaisons 11 3. Liaison Principles and Practices 15 4. Conclusion 41 Abbreviations 45 Notes 47 Bibliography 51 About the Author 55 About the Institute 56 1 Summary In Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in countless other hotspots around the world, religion has been a major factor in matters of war and peace. Since religion often plays a significant role in conflicts, it also needs to be one of the factors addressed in mediating conflicts. Yet, because the United States separates religion from political matters to a greater degree than many other areas of the world, Americans frequently have difficulty understanding the crucial role religion can play in conflict transformation. As this study demonstrates, military chaplains, as clergy and officers, occupy a unique space that blends a secular status and a religious one, making them well suited to serve as inter- mediaries between military and religious leaders in areas of conflict and postconflict stabili- zation. While chaplains are not positioned to take on such major conflict mediation tasks as healing historic wounds in ethnic and sectarian conflict, they are positioned to communicate with religious leaders in discrete areas of conflict and contribute toward improved dialogue, trust, coordination, problem solving, and localized violence reduction. By drawing on the experiences of fourteen chaplains who had substantial interaction with religious leaders in Iraq and/or Afghanistan, or who supervised other chaplains involved in such activities, the author provides an exploratory study of the important mediating role chaplains can play in overseas military operations. After briefly examining the military guidelines that provide the basis for chaplains to act as liaisons with religious leaders, the author examines the chaplain’s dual standing as a clergy- person and a military officer and the boundaries of the chaplain’s potential role as liaison. Specifically, the author unequivocally states that the primary mediating focus of chaplains should be on establishing communications and building relationships with local religious leaders on the ground—not on attempting to negotiate the resolution of broad historical problems. In harvesting the accounts of the fourteen chaplains whom he interviewed, the author next offers key peacebuilding principles and lessons that are informed by a sound reading of conflict resolution literature. For example, he finds that all chaplain outreach efforts must be balanced with security concerns to ensure not just the chaplains’ safety but also that of the local religious leaders with whom they meet. Further, he finds that chaplains who wish to serve in such a manner must have a willingness and ability to interact with religious leaders of other faiths and must not be theologically and personally inclined to view those of other faiths as enemies. Ultimately, the accounts he offers are meant to provide real-world examples of successful civil-military relations and to provide crucial guidance for chaplains to follow when serving as liaisons between the military and local religious leaders in overseas conflict zones. 2 Chaplains as Liaisons with Religious Leaders While the primary role of military chaplains is to minister to the troops, as this study power- fully illustrates, chaplains can do much to not only mediate conflict on the ground but also help win the hearts and minds of local populations in support of U.S. combat and postconflict stability operations throughout the world. 3 Acknowledgments Although I am listed as the author, there are many people who have contributed an enormous amount to this publication and rightly could be listed as coauthors. First, I want to thank each of the fourteen chaplains who are listed below and John Finney, a political adviser to the Maryland National Guard, for sharing their liaison experiences and insights. This publication would not have been possible without their contributions. I also want to recognize Chaplain Hal Scott, who reviewed the manuscript thoroughly several times and offered many thought- ful suggestions. Additionally, John Crist, my program officer at the United States Institute of Peace, was a tremendous source of encouragement and guidance during the entire process and writing of this project. Finally and most importantly, I must thank Elizabeth Dahl, my research assistant, who was exceedingly overqualified for the position—as I was completing this Peaceworks she was completing requirements for a Ph.D. in international relations at American University. Elizabeth provided superb expertise on conflict resolution and valuable feedback throughout the development of this publication. Chaplain (LTC) Larry Adams-Thompson, U.S. Army, CJTF-76, was deployed in Afghanistan from March 2004 to March 2005. Chaplain (COL) Douglas Carver, U.S. Army, CJTF-7, was deployed in Iraq from March 2003 to March 2004. Chaplain Tierian Cash, CAPT, U.S. Navy, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan, was deployed in Afghanistan from October 2004 to March 2005. Chaplain Leslie Dawson, MAJ, Canadian Armed Forces, Kabul Multi-national Brigade, was deployed in Afghanistan from July 2003 to January 2004. Chaplain (LTC) Chet Egert, U.S. Army, 101st Airborne Division, was deployed in Iraq from July 2003 to February 2004. Chaplain (CPT) Eric Eliason, U.S. National Guard, 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group, was deployed in Afghanistan from February to June 2004. Chaplain Steve Evans, CAPT, U.S. Navy, Command Forces Command Afghanistan, was deployed in Afghanistan from April to October 2003. Chaplain Phillip Gwaltney, CAPT, U.S. Navy, U.S. Central Command. Chaplain (MAJ) Carlos Huerta, 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, was deployed in Iraq from March to December 2003. 4 Chaplains as Liaisons with Religious Leaders Chaplain Erik Lee, LT, U.S. Navy, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, was deployed in Iraq from March to July 2003. Chaplain (COL) Ken Sampson, U.S. Army, CJTF-180, was deployed in Afghanistan from May 2003 to April 2004. Chaplain (CPT) John Stutz, U.S. Army Reserve, 101st Airborne Division Civil-Military Operations Center, was deployed in Iraq from March 2003 to February 2004. Chaplain Brian Waite, LT, U.S. Navy, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, was deployed in Iraq from March to May 2003. Chaplain (CPT) Tom Yates, U.S. Army Reserve, Task Force Victory, Combined Joint Civil- Military Operations Task Force, was deployed in Afghanistan from January to October 2004. 5 1Introduction During the first few days of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), as the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, was beginning its assault against Iraqi forces in An Nasiriyah, Chaplain Brian Waite was at the battalion aid station ready to minister to wounded marines. Soon he received word that his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Dunahoe, wanted him to handle a crisis that had arisen with local civilians. In the early phase of the battle, the battalion had captured and secured a school. However, during the fight the Fedayeen Saddam, an Iraqi paramilitary organization, had used some civilians as human shields, which resulted in the deaths of a man and woman, who were shot by the marines. Lieutenant Colonel Dunahoe told Chaplain Waite that since he was the “people” person, he needed to resolve the problem with the local populace while the colonel continued to lead the battalion in its combat operation. Chaplain Waite, his religious program specialist (RP), and a Kuwaiti translator met with a community leader in a large field that was located directly behind the school. As Chaplain Waite talked with the leader, people in the neighborhood began to feel more secure about coming out of their homes. Soon a curious crowd of more than one hundred people gathered around the chaplain, RP, and translator. Chaplain Waite felt uneasy about the situation because the three of them were surrounded by a sizeable group of angry citizens. Initially the crowd was hostile because they blamed the marines for the deaths of the two civilians. The chaplain explained that the marines were there as liberators and that the man and woman were killed because the Fedayeen had used them as human shields. The tension lessened as local eyewitnesses corroborated the account and the crowd began to understand the circumstances of their neighbors’ deaths. The people wanted a proper burial before sundown for these two members of their community and requested that the marines transport their bodies to a local cemetery so the interment could be performed there. The chaplain explained that the burial had to be held in an area that the marines had already secured. The school was the only location that met this condition, so an agreement was reached that a temporary interment would be conducted in the field just inside the school grounds. Working through the translator, this process of expla- nation and negotiation was slow and meticulous, taking several hours. Once it was decided that the burial would occur at the school, Chaplain Waite helped dig the graves. He believed that it was important to demonstrate in a concrete way to the local people and the young marines that the U.S. military genuinely cared for the Iraqi people. The chaplain did not participate in the actual burial ceremony, but he did stand by and observe the service.

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